Schodorf responds to voter citizenship suit

WICHITA, Kansas -The Democratic candidate for Kansas secretary of state says she’s “appalled” by a federal judge’s ruling requiring the federal government to help Kansas enforce its proof-of-citizenship law for new voters.

Former state Sen. Jean Schodorf of Wichita called Wednesday for an end to what she called a “war on voting” by Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

“Kobach’s war on voting must stop. The Federal voter registration form includes an affidavit that prospective voters must sign swearing they are citizens. This form is a legal document, and if you lie on a legal document, you go to jail,” said Schodorf.

Kobach says the law prevents fraud and he’s delighted with the ruling.

Kobach wrote the law requiring new voters to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register. But a few voters use a national form requiring only that they sign a statement saying they are citizens.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren ruled Wednesday that the federal government must modify the national form to include a specific proof-of-citizenship instruction for Kansas and Arizona.